The House That Jack Built - Softcover

Jenny Stow gained a BA in English and History of Art from Manchester, before going on to study at Chelsea School of Art. Between 1982 and 1985 she spent four years teaching in Africa, followed by a year in the Caribbean in 1987. Jenny is married with one son.

PreSchool-Grade 2-- Brightly colored collages rendered in paint, ink, and crayon create an original and highly effective Caribbean setting for this age-old cumulative nursery tale. Stow depicts the list of characters and creatures enumerated in recognizable fashion; however, by relocating the entourage, she establishes a certain ethnic orientation in the interpretation that acknowledges the chant's universality. The house is a tin-roofed cottage surrounded by palm trees and fuchsia flowers; tiny green lizards dart amongst the malt bags in the porch; and the man, the maiden, and the priest are people of color. The action moves rhythmically along in the lively pictures, and listeners can search through the spreads for characters already introduced in the lengthening litany. Using rollers, rubbings, and sponges to createvivid splashes of bright greens, sunny yellows, and deep blues, Stow evokes the warmth, vitality, and texture of island culture. Despite the several other worthwhile versions of this rhyme currently in print, this fresh look deserves a place on most picture book shelves. --Dorothy Houlihan, formerly at White Plains Public Library, NY
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